Van der Vaart withdraws from Netherlands squad

The Hamburg midfielder will miss the nation's upcoming World Cup qualifiers after picking up a hamstring injury, with Adam Maher called up as his replacementRafael van der Vaart is out of Netherlands' World Cup qualifiers in September after picking up a hamstring injury in training.

The playmaker, 30, has left the Dutch training camp ahead of their double header with Estonia and Andorra and returned to Hamburg, with PSV star Adam Maher coming in as a replacement.

Coach Louis van Gaal already had to shuffle his pack with Wesley Sneijder being brought in to replace the injured Georginio Wijnaldum and, prior to his withdrawal, Van der Vaart said he was looking forward to pairing up with his former Ajax and Real Madrid team-mate.